APRIL Chat

Monday. The good news is the kids are back to school and I have the day off! Bad news is I have a to-do list that will probably eat through my whole day Oh well, just six more weeks of work and then preschool is done for the summer!

Talked to my doc. She thinks I might have Hashimoto's disease - which could explain the constant weight gain these last few years. Although I'm taking thyroid meds, it might not be a strong enough dose. She's also asking me to go gluten-free. She's got labs ordered and I should know more in the next week or so. There's also a chance it could be cancer(!), so she wants to hop on this ASAP. It's a struggle to swallow anything lately, even water, so I want some fast answers, too!

Anyone planning any good April Fool's jokes? I think I am going to take off the pedals on DH's elliptical

Nope, no April fools jokes here... at least not by me. I've never really been into them.

I am down 1 lb this am. I think that is great considering I made it through a holiday weekend. I hope it shows in my weigh-in this week. Tomorrow I have an appointment with the pain management doc. The rest of this week will be busy getting ready for our first farmer's market of the season which opens Saturday. Our lettuces look great and we have plenty of eggs and I will make some whole wheat bread, banana nut bread and blueberry bread. Our meat chicks should arrive today or tomorrow. Then on June first, we should have 100 meat chickens for sale that have no antibiotics or hormones. That should really boost our sales. Tomatoes are on the vines, but have not turned colors yet. The cucumbers are up. DH and I plan to plant the rest of the hot peppers today. Corn will follow that. Spring is here! I can't wait for the bountiful harvest.

I took a break and decided I needed support. I have been working out. 2-3 times a week at 20 minutes. Weigh 307, no inches seem to be lost(never measured). I tried on my smaller pants and they don't even come close to fitting. I made a decision right there to work out more and try something else. I did wii zumba 2 this morning for 45 minutes and plan on sticking with it.

On a positive note, I finally have graduated to my weight loss ticker and can post my blog that I've been keeping.

On the negative side, as if I needed any proof that I feel better drinking my shakes every day, now that I've been out for 2 days, I can feel such a negative difference. Drinking it not only curbs my chocolate cravings, but I feel full and have more energy. My new supply should arrive Weds. and I can't wait. Drinking a regular protein drink doesn't do nearly the same for me that my shake (ology) does.

I am craving chips, chocolate and feeling temptation climbing. I keep remembering my loss in inches and weight so far, but TOM is winning.

Firegirl - Your produce and chickens for the farmers market sound wonderful!!! Love all the fresh produce and fruit this time of year!

SnowAngel - Welcome to our little corner of 3FC! So glad you found us. I have tried Zumba and am just not coordinated enough to enjoy it. I am glad you are giving it a go.

Bbrides - Love the new ticker! Sorry you are having trouble craving carbs. I crave sweets and chocolates all the time. Constant battle to resist here.

Had a great weekend but did not stay on track. We had our big party at work on Saturday and it was wonderful. My ego was definitely inflated and the party was not even for me. I received several compliments on how nice I looked. I also made my DH come with me and it was so nice to hear people that I work with them tell him how much they enjoy working with me.
Easter - I gave myself permission to eat carrot cake. I enjoyed every bite. It was delicious!
Got back on track yesterday. After a week off from exercising, I have been back at it two mornings in a row. Kept my calories at 1360 yesterday and am hoping I can do as well today. I would really like to see a loss this month. Its been so long since the scale was moved down.

Snowangel- glad to hear you found Zumba and are giving it a try. Maybe you have found your exercise home right there. They have Zumba classes in the pool on Tuesday nights. It looks like a lot of fun, but I can't do the twisting due to my back injury. The ladies there love it.

bbrides- glad your shakes will arrive tomorrow. Then you will feel more yourself and hopefully the cravings will pass to some degree.

NEmom- Glad you jumped right back on track yesterday. It is so nice that you can indulge and start right back where you left off. With me following Atkins, I don't have that luxury as I do not want to get out of ketosis and have to start that all over. I get terrible headaches on days 2 and 3 when I do.

I am staying on plan and feeling really good. Last night, for the first time, I ate a package of the Atkin's Peanut Butter Cups for my nightly snack. WOW! They will cure any chocolate cravings I have. They taste just like Reese's to me. I know i have to limit myself to 2 a week though as I could easily become addicted to them. I was happy with the new scales this AM. Down significantly. I just hope DH has them calibrated correctly. I will know for sure at Thursday's weigh-in. Hope everyone has a Happy Tuesday!

Quite busy at work today, trying to cram 5 days of work into 3 since I'm leaving for vacation Thursday morning. Weekend skiing was fun and crazy! On Saturday I skied in the sun, clouds, snow and rain! Too bad there aren't wipers to turn on my goggle lenses.

firegirl441: That Atkins candy is good! I had to be careful of the sugar alcohols in those, that's for sure! Congrats for staying on plan!! I'm drooling over all those fresh fruits and veggies, the chicken, breads...mmmm!

NEMom: Even though you didn't stay on track over the weekend, I'm sure those compliments have helped you get right back on plan! You may not have reached goal yet, but you've come a long way, baby!

bbrides: Yea for a ticker!! Boo for running out of shake...and during the most difficult time of the month. Hang in there!!

SnowAngel72: Welcome to the boards!!

LuvCats: Nope! Can't believe it's April. When was it March??

2FatCats: How's the post-surgery healing going?

petra65: I'm fighting for every pound too. It's been harder to lose this time than ever before.

MrsTryingAgain: Happy Anniversary! DH & I will celebrate 22 yrs this August. I know what you mean about time flying and dragging at the same time!

Great News....I weighed in at 182 on the doc's scales. That is a 1 lb difference in my new scales so I know that DH did a really great job getting them calibrated correctly. I had on my undies, bra, and dress and had just eaten a healthy lunch so I am soooooo excited and motivated. The doc was jacked up about it too. He told me to keep up the pool aerobics and keep doing what I am because I look the best he has ever seen me. According to their numbers, I have lost 30 lbs since my appointment there in January. I think the difference is that their scales are 4 lbs heavy so they changed them to get an exact weight on me. I hope they do that every time from now on. I apologize for my boasting, but between my PCP's report of excellent blood work and today's docs report, I am so proud of myself. It has been a long 5 years since my back injury and I am finally getting myself together for the good. 170's here I come!!!

Well done, Firegirl! Boasting is allowed; I think most of us here could stand to feel better about ourselves and learn to take credit and be proud of our hard work

Moondance, thanks for your warm weather wishes. It has been the coldest March for 40 years. Brrrrr.

NEMom, I'm glad for you. A little bit of positive feedback does wonders for *my* motivation, so I'm guessing you're feeling good

Snowangel, hang in there. Sometimes the most obvious result of the exercise and hard work is just an increased energy level.

To NEMom and everybody else who is following along; So far so good. DD1 has survived the first few day on SSRI anti-depressants. She is trying hard, which is new. Her doc laid down the law and said she would only take her on as a patient if she worked hard, and that has helped. It is a relief not to see her so unhappy, but also she has stopped taking chunks out of her sisters. It sucks watching your kids hurt each other. I'm just thinking, "you're sisters, for crap's sake! There are enough people happy to do damage on this planet, you should be able to rely on each other!" Somehow, that's not always how it turns out.

On the flab-fighting front:
I was shocked to be able to enjoy a modest weight loss this week (300g) but I think it reflects how bad my habits really were before I made the commitment to live a healthier life. Even though I ate far too many easter treats over the weekend, I have just been more active in general, and still had less, probably, than I would have in years past.

Yesterday I waged war on the garden, which was badly neglected last summer. Ironically, DH being unemployed means I get some help in the garden, so I'm taking that as a silver lining.

Moondance-Vacation - can I go, I need a vacation! Hope you have a great time!!!

Magicsaun- A small loss is still a loss. Take it and be proud! I am glad to hear that your DD seems to be doing well with her medication and that you are seeing some behavior improvements with her.
They changed my sons meds because PAXIL was making him tired all the time. Hopefully, the new meds will help too. My son is so funny. He has lost (all by himself, without advice from mom) 45lbs. He has always had a self image problem (wonder where he got that - me maybe?) He has been hiding behind baggy shirts and big sweatshirts and now that the is gaining some confidence he stopped wearing the sweatshirt all the time and I am getting him some smaller shirts. Boy, what a difference it makes. I had gotten him a couple of XL's and even those are too big. His shorts that are XL hang off him and he had his suit on this weekend and I could fit in that thing with him. I don't know how I am going to afford a new wardrobe for him. He is also really getting big guns and his pecs are developing. He had his first track meet yesterday and in this track outfit - wow - I was amazed at how manly he is developing. His dad needs to teach him how to tell girls are flirting with him though, he had 3 or 4 girls around him at all times and he seemed oblivious to it. So proud of that kid, what he has done for himself and how he is trying to figure things out.

My scale is back down to 166 this morning after being stuck at 168 and higher forever. I don't know if it is because I have made a few changes in my diet the last week or if it is just being nice because it did not budge downwards last month. Whatever it is, I will take it. Just wish I knew what I did right for once to make it go down.

Magicsusan-I am so glad your DD is adjusting to the meds. my dd and grandbabies are living with us while she goes through a nasty divorce. she is also knocking her alcohol issues. needless to say she is having some issues dealing so I am taking her to a clinic and hopefully they will give her something to help her through these difficult times.

Congrats on the loss, NeMom! Keep up the goood work.
I am still in the ER With DD & DGS. We have been here several hourrs. I Got real weak. the only place near here was McDonalds. I got a bacon ranch salad. After eating it, I looked at the ranch pkg n it had 9 carbs. Yikes! too late now. WHat a bummer.

Firegirl - I am seriously jealous of your ability to plant things now. It is so ridiculously cold here still. I have started veggies in pots and should be "hardening them off" outside, but there is no way that's happening!

Hi all-
I've been away for awhile - my dad was hospitalized a couple weeks ago with low blood platelets, and has been in and out of the hospital several times. One of the times he was released, and as soon as he got home, he fell getting out of the car and hit his head and had uncontrollable bleeding due to the low platelets. He was rushed to the ER and put right back in the hospital! Also, my brother was hospitalized during that same time, with what they thought was either a stroke or a heart attack. Turns out it was neither, but what a stressful time it has been!

Through it all, I've been on track, except for a couple glasses of wine a couple times. Unfortunately, I still haven't lost a pound! Every day I think the scale will surely go down, but it just laughs at me. measurements are continuing to go down a little, so that's encouraging. Don't know why the darn scale is so stubborn though!

I have a lot of reading and catching up to do around here. Just wanted to say hi and tell everyone good work on their successes the last couple weeks!

ukemama- I sure hope your blood work results work out for you. I am sure you have found a good doc who can help you through whatever you are facing.

Glad to have you back Linda. It is great you have lost inches. I had the same problem for a couple of weeks back. Then one day, it starting moving again. You and I have lost the very same amount...26 lbs. Maybe at that point our bodies have to "catch up" to that weight and adjust itself. I have faith that it will move before too much longer. Just keep at it and you will be rewarded.

Got the results back. Good news: No Hashimoto's. Bad News: They have no clue what's causing this. No infection, no tonsillitis, no allergies. Possibly cancer, but the doctor thinks that's not much of a risk (yea!). More testing to follow.

I decided today that I'm going to move forward with trying the Dukan diet. Talked to DH tonight about it and told him I need him to commit to this in terms of supporting me. I'm making a list of recipes and food I need to buy. I will start on Monday. I need to figure out a ticker for here.

Firegirl - I like your new picture!

Linda - welcome back! Prayers and good thoughts going out to your family. I certainly can't fault you for having some wine with all that you've been going through!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

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I'm not losing weight - I'm getting rid of it. I never want to find it again!